Authors A to Z: A Completed Reading Challenge
Thanks to Samantha Lin for hosting the Authors A to Z Reading Challenge. I have very much enjoyed it and discovered a number of new to me authors and revisited some old friends. Among the highlights for me are new authors Rebecca Zanetti, Charlotte Stein, Andy Weir, and Alexandra Ivy. On to who I read:
A: Archer, Jennifer
B: Bailey, Tessa
C: Covington, Cara
D: Dean, Kimberly
E: Evans, Gabrielle
F: Flynn, Joyee
G: Gasq-Dion, Sandrine
H: Holm, Jennifer L.
I: Ivy, Alexandra
J: Janzen, Tara
K: Kearsley, Susanna
L: Land, Alexa
M: Miller, Linda Lael
N: Northcote, Jay
O: O'Tierney, Raine
P: Parker, Sara K.
Q: Quinn, Julia
R: Robson, Cecy
S: Stein, Charlotte
T: Tarrent, T.N.
U: Urban, Madeleine
V: Violet, Sylvia
W: Weir, Andy
X: Xanthe*
Y: Yolan, Jane
Z: Zanetti, Rebecca
I hope this challenge is hosted again next year! I will sign up again for sure!!
*Xanthe is an amazing author of fan fiction. She only uses the one name so I many be stretching the rules a bit since we are supposed to use surnames only. However, I love her work and the letter X is hard to find so there you have it.
Against the Wall by Rebecca Zanetti
Surveying the proposed site for a high-end golf course should have been a breeze for spunky landscape architect Sophie Smith. But when this born-and-bred city girl is literally swept off her feet by a sexy cowboy on horseback, she realizes country life has some serious (and seriously steamy) possibilities. That is, until she finds out exactly who her smoking hot wrangler really is.
Tribal lawyer Jake Lodge is desperately trying to block the development. And if that means playing hardball, so be it. But Sophie is a distraction he didn't expect. A distraction that makes his blood burn. Two different worlds. Two opposing sides. And when they finally give into temptation, the consequences will shake the foundations of both of their lives.
Thank goodness for reading challenges! If I wasn't looking for an author whose last name began with the letter Z for my Authors A to Z challenge I might never have stumbled across Against the Wall and that would have been most unfortunate as I LOVED this story! I can't wait to try something else by this author, preferably the next book in this series. From page 1 I was hooked--this has to be one of the best opening scenes in a book that I have read in a long time. How good was it? Well, I was stuck at my local car dealership listening to too loud music with the Today show blaring and after the first paragraph all of that faded away. Need more convincing? The courtesy van driver came by and offered to take me to far nicer surroundings and I turned him down because I couldn't stand to bring myself out of the story long enough to go somewhere else. Two and a half hours later I sit perched at a table surrounded by new cars tipity-typing up this review--STILL at the dealership. Yup. Could not put down this story that should come with an addiction warning sticker on it: Caution!! Make sure you have no pressing engagements and that the family is fed--once you open this book you will be completely unavailable until the last word has been read!
It's been a while since I've been this excited about a new author (maybe since Henrietta Clark?) and it reminded me all over again about why I love this thing called reading so much. To be able to meet characters like these and visit the Montana community that houses them was a treat. Now, let's see if I can stop my gushing long enough to actually give you a coherent idea of what this story is about:
Sophie has been assigned to travel to a rural Montana town as part of her job as a designer of golf courses. A development group has bought the land and wants to put in a golf course but the local community is less enthusiastic for a variety of reasons--some are about a lake that might be negatively impacted, others are open to a golf course but in a different location which is a problem for the development company as they only own this land in this area. Jake is a tribal lawyer (a VERY good one) who is working to stop the golf course. When he literally sweeps Sophie off of her feet before they are even introduced I knew I was in for a fun ride (pun intended for those of you who have read the book!)
Jake is strong, tall, dark, and stubborn. He is the father of a very-well written six year old, has two swoon-y brothers, and long-suffering younger sister, and is the son of a loving mother and step-father. Sophie is the only child of a deceased mother who came from very humble beginnings before her mother married a wealthy man and basically dumped Sophie in a boarding school. Sophie is used to being alone with few people to count on which explains a lot about why she is both thankful for and baffled by everyone's quick acceptance of her as well as their continued efforts to pull her into family and community affairs. Sophie and Jake's red hot attraction only adds spice to the zippy fast pace of the story. At no point does the story feel rushed but there is a definite pace to the story that was just perfect. An amazing blend of couple-time (both sweet and spicy!), family-time, and Sophie-ruminating-on-what-to-do time (part of which are Bob dreams that were a hoot!) along with just enough tension from a mystery figure leaving pointed notes on Sophie's car warning her off the golf course, a past love-interest of Sophie's who suddenly wants to make a go of it, and an offer to let Sophie do what she loves without having to run back to San Francisco and you have one rock solid offering from Rebecca Zanetti.
The reader gets such a clear picture of what the various people in this small community are like, both good and bad, with the good clearly outweighing the crazies. This only makes Sophie's internal struggle concerning knowing in her head that she will be leaving for her home in California and her heart's wish that she could belong to a place like this one more poignant without ever becoming a conflict for conflict's sake. Everything in this story felt so real and genuine; nothing felt contrived. Even when the author used story lines that can easily feel cliched there was a fresh feeling that came from how they were used and the fact that I was so invested in these characters that my heart was beating and my gut clenching watching them achieve the HEA.
Just in case there is any doubt left: Get this book and read it ASAP. I am only sad that I haven't discovered this author until now and insanely happy that she has quite a backlist of books so that I can have a happy glom now.
Reading Challenges
Authors A to Z
Contemporary Romance
I Love Library Books
New to You
I borrowed this book from my local public library.
Fitting In by Sylvia Violet
Two cops walk into a bar. Mason, the bartender, waits for the punch line, because no way in hell are these ridiculously hot men real cops. They're straight out of a cop-fetish fantasy. But he quickly learns that Jack and Gray are the real deal, and they want him in the worst way.
What starts as a night of hot, three-way sex becomes a lot more. The two cops fulfill Mason's submissive fantasies, but they also meet a more basic need, comfort. They want to take care of Mason, to offer him unconditional friendship, but their concern for him unnerves Mason more than even the kinkiest sex.
To find happiness with his new partners, Mason must change his belief that love is as much a fantasy as a pair of gorgeous, handcuff-wielding cops landing in his bed.
Mason can barely keep his mind on the job when he first sees two hot cops come into the bar where he is a bartender. Gray and Jack are partners who are questioning people about a robbery in a neighboring business--the third such robbery in this area of Durham. Mason tries to keep his eyes on what he is doing but they insist on straying to Gray and Jack. The more he watches the two cops who start frequenting his place of work, the more he is convinced that Gray and Jack are already a couple which only reinforces his belief that his fantasies are just that with no hope of every becoming reality.
Mason has had a bad experience with trying to be a third when a former date admitted he had a boyfriend and invited Mason along for some fun. Mason ended up sneaking out when the two fought over how serious the boyfriend really was and Mason was stalked by one of the partners. Mason is used to being alone now, especially since his family is convinced that being gay is just a phase he is going through and have eliminated all support both emotional and financial from Mason. When it looks like Gray and Jack are both interested in him he is nervous due to past experiences--he really doesn't want to come between two such loving, amazing men but he can't deny how much he would love to be a part of them either.
Mason takes a chance and goes home with Gray and Jack where he finds they meet all of his needs, even those he didn't know he possessed. Gray's dominant tendencies and Jack's tender caring only make him fall deeper and harder for these two men. His insecurities grow as their relationship continues to develop until Mason decides he can't take it any more and leaves them both. At the same time, the robberies are continuing and when a cop is killed, Mason worries about what would happen if one of the men he loves died before he could tell them how he truly felt.
Watching Mason come to terms with his fears and decide for himself the future he really wants was amazing--Sylvia Violet walked a fine line of making his fears extremely understandable without having him wallow in melancholy or veer into holding out for too long and she stayed on the right side of that line the whole time. Mason is not the only one with issues either--Gray is getting tired of hiding what he is and who he loves but he knows that coming out doesn't only effect him and that he needs to take Jack's needs into account as well. At best they wouldn't be able to remain partners--at worst they would have to work in separate precincts. Watching all three of these men come together with an emphasis on communication and compromise was a beautiful thing. You know there are still hard times and difficult choices to come for these guys after the story ends and yet I am so confident that theirs is a relationship that can weather all storms. This is the first book in a series with at least one more book being about Jack, Gray and Mason-- I can't wait to read it!
Reading Challenges
Authors A to Z
Contemporary Romance
ebook Reading
Men in Uniform
Reading Road Trip
Story Sprites
I purchased this book with my own funds.
Warrior's Cross by Madeleine Urban and Abigail Roux
Cameron Jacobs is an open book. He considers himself a common waiter with normal friends, boring hobbies, harmless dogs, and nothing even resembling a secret...except a crush on a tall, dark, devastatingly handsome man who dines alone at his restaurant on Tuesday nights. All it takes is one passionate night with Julian Cross to turn Cameron's would on its head.
Julian's love and devotion are all Cameron could have hoped for and more. But when his ordinary life meets and clashes with Julian's extraordinary lifestyle, Cameron discovers that trust and fear can go hand in hand, and love is just a step away from danger.
Cameron is captivated by the man who sits in his section at the restaurant he works at every Tuesday, who always orders a bottle of wine and the special of the day, never talks or gets dessert, and often sports bruises, cuts and scrapes. One evening, the man breaks his silence and Cameron is only more intrigued. Shortly after that Cameron is inviting Julian back to his apartment and that begins a relationship between the two men. If you can count seeing each other for 48 hours of the week as a relationship. Cameron has questions and, at times, reservations, about Julian but always he knows that he loves him. Julian is very clear in his love for Cameron as well, but there is always a sense of danger around Julian and what he might be doing for a living. Eventually this causes Cameron to issue an ultimatum and Julian, to both of their regrets, leaves Cameron's life. This part of the story was leisurely and meandering and beautiful. I had tears in my eyes when Cam and Julian's relationship came to its heartbreaking end--I watched it teeter on a point knowing it could fall either way and when Julian turned around and walked away my heart broke right along with Cam's.
It is at this point in the story that things really speed up. Julian's dangerous job takes more of a leading role as a mysterious figure named Lancaster comes into play. He is scary and clearly out to hurt Julian and it seems like he has decided to use Cameron as his instrument to deliver said pain. There was no easy resolution to this story as bad things happened to good people and Cam's already broken heart gets completely shattered in the course of events that took this reader hurtling to the end of the book and left her trying to recover her composure before writing this review. I'm not sure that I really believed in Cameron and Julian's relationship in the beginning, it was hard to see what was so fascinating about Cameron that would catch Julian's eye to the degree that it did...don't get me wrong, Cameron is a really sweet guy who loves his four pups and does his job as a head waiter in a prestigious restaurant to the best of his ability--I just don't know what it was about their limited interactions at the restaurant that caused Julian to become so enamored. Once they were together, it also didn't seem as if they really got to know each other enough to stay together long term--between their limited time together and Julian's secrets it seemed that there was so much they didn't know about each other besides how compatible they were in bed together. But...the writing was so well done, both characters were so great to know--Cameron with his honesty and Julian with his intensity that I didn't really care about believability and instead threw myself into the story, feeling Cameron and Julian's emotions in the pit of my stomach and hoping against hope that they would somehow, someway have a happy ending, even when it seemed that any such hope of that would be in vain.
Reading Challenges
105 Challenge
Authors A to Z
Hard Core Reread
Romantic Suspense
Bookish Bingo
I purchased this book with my own funds.
Afterglow by Cherry Adair
A high profile celebrity wedding in Monaco in the kind of A-list event security specialist Rand Maguire excels at. Everything goes like clockwork, until guests start inexplicably losing all their inhibitions.
Rand is no stranger to the effects of Rapture. His chemist father's attempt at a cure for depression caused Rand's mother's death years ago, and put his father away for her murder. Now someone is circulating Rapture in a campaign of terror, intending to manufacture and sell it on a global scale. But with no leads, Rand feels the heat.
Sexy Lodestone agent Dakota North is sent to help Rand kick-start his search, armed only with her uncanny sixth sense. But what they discover in their race across Europe is more far-fetching and lethal than an erotic street drug. From a Barcelona bank heist to a million-dollar arms deal in Paris, Dakota and Rand give in to an insatiable craving for each other in nights of pure carnal delight, no senses left untouched. No Rapture necessary.
Yikes. This book. At the end of of it, I wished I had abandoned it after the first couple of chapters like I originally wanted to. I didn't for two reasons: it was one of the titles on my Official TBR Pile challenge list and it was clear that the hero had seriously wronged the heroine and I wanted to see him grovel. I love a good grovel. Unfortunately, I was let down.
From the beginning: Rand is the head of a security firm who is having to seriously cover his keister after members of a high profile wedding were slipped a drug causing ALL of them (priest, grandmother of the bride, EVERYBODY) to immediately start having sex with whoever was closest to them. Dakota shows up as the help requested by Rand who is NOT happy to see her as they used to be engaged until he broke it off because he believes she was 1) cheating on him with many different men, 2)involved in the death of his mother and 3) a money hungry whore. So, no warm fuzzy feeling for him although he does spend a lot of time rhapsidising about her red hair.
Rand and Dakota form an uneasy alliance and Dakota uses her psychic ability to track the bad guys. Mayhem across Europe ensues, Rand and Dakota come together and fight apart again and again until things come to a head when they visit Rand's father in an Italian prison to see if he can give them any insight into the drug they are sure is being used. This scene is used as a catalyst to give Rand a chance to see for himself the weakness of the evidence used to frame Dakota. More mayhem ensues until the final showdown which is completely whacked out. The explanation as to how everything came to pass was ludicrous in its dependency upon coincidences and seemed in no way plausible. And after sticking with all of that I never got my grovel scene. Instead, Dakota, who had been treated abominably by the hero and his family makes excuses for Rand and assures him she understands. Ugh!
I have read some books by Cherry Adair that I really enjoyed but I am sad to say that this is definitely not one of them. Ludicrous and unsatisfying--this book disappointed on many levels.
Reading Challenges
Around the World
Monthly Mix Up Mania
Official TBR Pile Extreme
Romantic Suspense
Somebody Nice! by Raine O'Tierney
Danny, his (almost adopted?) daughter Melissa and their dog Bunny are a happy family. However, Danny would be happier still if the man he is dating would allow himself to be introduced to his daughter as his boyfriend. Milo, who works at the school Melissa attends as a librarian is painfully shy, and while he is out to his mother, he worries about letting Melissa know he is dating her father. When Melissa asks Milo for help at school, he doesn't expect her to want to create a profile for her father on a dating website so her Danny won't be lonely. This gives Milo the push he needs to take the step of being honest with Melissa and the four of them (can't forget Bunny!) begin spending a lot of time together...until Danny gets the opportunity to switch jobs. He is a cop without a lot of opportunity for advancement until he is offered a job in a related unit that will require a lot of hard work. When he begins to transition to this new job, it takes all of his time but he doesn't communicate with Milo about this or anything else. He simply doesn't communicate with him at all and Milo is left to wonder what happened. Melissa misses Milo and decides to take things into her own hands. This is a free download and is an enjoyable way to spend a bit of time.
Reading Challenges
Contemporary Romance
Authors A to Z
Read Your Freebies
ebook Reading
New to You
What An Animal
Coming Home by Jay Northcote
Jago returns to his home in the wilds of Cornwall, and is looking forward to catching up with old friends after a term away at university. When he's reunited with Will--his best mate from sixth-form college and last summer's fling--Jago's feelings for him are rekindled and impossible to ignore.
Over the short winter break, Jago can't resist taking whatever Will's offering. But will the New Year bring new beginnings? Or will Jago be left with more bittersweet memories and a heart that needs to heal again?
This is a short--35 pages--free read that is worth the time to download. I quite enjoyed this sweet story in which Jago misses Will, his best friend of two years and boyfriend for three months before Will decided it would be too difficult to deal with a long distance relationship and broke things off before they both went to college. Home on break, Jago is both looking forward to seeing Will and nervous as his feelings are still strong and he doesn't want things to be awkward with Will. Going out with a group of friends helps somewhat but he can't keep from watching Will and wondering if Will still feels anything for him...it is at one such gathering that Jago gets his answer and it is a positive one, however the specter of going back to school after the holiday is hanging over Jago's head. He wants more from Will, a real commitment but doesn't know if that is in the cards. Watching these two reconnect in this short story was a treat.
Reading Challenges
105 Challenge
Around the World
Authors A to Z
Contemporary Romance
ebook Reading
New to You
Read Your Freebies
Bookish Bingo
I downloaded this book for free.
